“You’re shitting me. As in Driving While Intoxicated?”
“No, but that is kind of funny, now that you mention it. Stands for Drexel Wolfe Investigations.”
“Hang on.” Kolson Googled DWI Inc. and a load of information popped up on his screen. “Damn, how have I never heard of this guy?”
“Beats me. Let me know what you want me to do. I know him from a couple of past cases so I can put you in touch.”
“Make the call. I want him in New York yesterday.”
An hour later Kolson’s phone rang. It was Drexel Wolfe. He would be arriving in New York in the morning. Case passed all the information along. Wolfe and one of his men would be personally tracking Danny. Once they found him, they would call Kolson with a location.
“Don’t involve the police. I have something else in mind for him,” Kolson said.
“Whatever you wish. I don’t get involved in that end. And I prefer to be kept in the dark regarding those details.”
“Mr. Wolfe, I’m only hiring you to find Danny Martinelli and then to let me know where he is.”
“Fine. You can deposit half my fee in my account and the rest of it when the job is finished. I’ll text you the account number and bank information you’ll need.”
“Sounds fine. And thank you for taking this on such short notice.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be well compensated.”
“I’m sure you will. And what’s your time estimation on finding him?”
“I’ll have a location in two days at the most after I get there.”
“Excellent.”
Kolson ended the call and stared at his phone. What he was going to do next was so abhorrent to him, needles pricked him everywhere and caused him to shudder. Soon, his gut would be burning like he’d swallowed a gallon of hydrochloric acid. It didn’t matter. Gabriella was more important than anything … more important than his feelings toward his father.
Tapping the numbers with much more force than necessary, he cringed when the phone started to ring.
“Langston Hart.”
“Dad. It’s Kolson.”
Stunned silence greeted him momentarily. “Well, well, well. What a surprise. To what do I owe this honor? A phone call from the great Kolson Hart?”
Kolson didn’t respond to his father’s goading.
“I need a favor.”
Another moment of stunned silence ensued. “Son, you’re about to give this old man a coronary.”
“Dad, stop trying to fool everyone. You’re far from old.”
“You are fully aware of my policy on favors?”
“Oh, am I ever. I know it well. Too well, in fact.”
“Then it must be important for you and I to be having this conversation.”
“It is.”
“Talk.”
“Before I begin, I need your oath that this conversation never goes beyond you and me. No matter what happens. Are we in agreement?”
“I can do that.”
“I also need your oath on something else.”
“My, aren’t you needy tonight?”
“Yes, sir, I am. This involves something very important to me.”
“I should hope so or you would never have called. In fact, I would go so far as to say you’re desperate.”
“The parties involved shall remain innocent and outside of your reach.”
“Hmm. Now I’m intrigued,” Langston said.
“Of course you are.”
“Agreed.”
“I need to have someone, for lack of a better term, disposed of.”
“Go on.”
“The man’s name is Danny Martinelli and he’s been threatening Gabriella for years.”
“Ah, I see.”
“No, you can’t possibly see.”
Langston said, “Be nice, Kolson. I hold the power in this conversation. Now, I want you to think long and hard about something. When I do a favor for someone, I always expect something in return. That means you’ll owe me.”
“Understood. One favor, one debt in return.”
“Yes, but it will be a debt of my choosing.”
“It cannot involve Gabriella.”
“Why, Kolson, I believe you’re in love with the good doctor.”
“That is none of your business.”
“You asked for my oath. Now I need yours in return. You’ll pay your debt or there is no favor.”
“The debt must be reasonable.”
“Kolson, you’re asking me to murder someone for you. The debt will match the favor.”
Kolson winced. “This cannot have any negative ramifications on Gabriella or any of my employees.”
“You’re not listening, son. You’re not in a position to make demands. Now, do you want me to take this person out or not?”
“Yes,” Kolson gritted out.
“Then, what’s it going to be? A debt for a favor or is the deal off?”
“The deal is on.”
“Oh, and Kolson, I can call in this debt whenever I see fit. So, where is this Danny Martinelli?”
“I’ll have a location for you in a couple days.”
“Good. And one other thing. Since summer is winding down, your mother wanted to have some people up next weekend. I’ll expect to see you and Gabriella there as well. Saturday to Sunday. Plan to spend the night. It will be an intimate group. Kestrel will be there. And four other couples. Your mother will be thrilled you’re coming.”
The call ended and Kolson had a burning pain in the pit of his stomach.
* * *
The next day, Kolson made a call to his attorneys. He discussed important business matters and legal issues that needed attending, to the shock of his legal team. Then he told Gabby about the weekend at his parents’.
“What? An overnighter?”
“I’m sorry. It was unavoidable. I hope you’re okay with it.”
She chewed the inside of her cheek. “Well, yeah, if you are. But after last time, I’m totally surprised.”
“I want my mom to get to know you,” he said, his tone curt.
Gabby put her arms around his waist. “Babe, are you okay?”
His body relaxed. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“Okay.” She held him for a bit before she released him.
“Kestrel will be there too, and I think he’s bringing a date. So you’ll have someone to hang out with.”
Gabby found that to be an odd thing to say. “Won’t I be hanging out with you?”
“Well, yeah, but I thought you might want another girl to talk to.”
“I’d rather not talk. I’d rather do other things with you.”
“Oh yeah? What kinds of things?”
“Like have you tie me up and take naughty liberties with me.”
“Hmm. Naughty liberties?” He grinned. And then the atmosphere in the room charged as his gaze darkened. He hitched her sharply against him and breathed, “I think I may have to do that right now, kea. I have an urge to explore all sorts of naughty ideas with you. Are you game?”
“Will this exploration include my silence?”
Her question threw him. “Gabriella, don’t you like what I do to you?”
“Well, yeah, but I also like to express my pleasure and when you tell me I can’t, it takes some of it away.”
His contrite expression tugged at her heart. “Why haven’t you said anything? When I ask you afterward, I want your complete honesty.”
“Because I don’t want to spoil your pleasure and you obviously like it.”
“Jesus,” he muttered as he scrubbed his face. He looked at her, puffed out a breath, and said, “My pleasure is only as deep as yours. If you want to scream your bloody head off, then do it. I want you to come as many times as I can get you to, and love every orgasm. And if you want to belt out in Mandarin that you need me to fuck you harder, if that’s what gets you off, then do it, for Christ’s sake.”
“Well, okay, but I’m gonna have to learn to speak Mandarin
.”
His head snapped up and he caught the way her eyes danced with mirth. Then, a stream of giggles bubbled out of her, and he found himself joining in.
“I can hear it now.” She did her best imitation of what she thought Mandarin sounded like, howling at her own joke.
He laughed too, but then said, “Fuck me harder, Kolson,” in perfect Mandarin.
“What was that?” she asked.
“I just said, ‘Fuck me harder, Kolson,’ in Mandarin.”
“You speak Mandarin?” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. And though she was surprised, she shouldn’t have been. He was so accomplished in everything else, why the hell wouldn’t he speak Mandarin?
“What else do you speak?”
“English.” He laughed.
“Is that all?”
“No. Spanish, German, and French. But you already knew that from when we ate at Le Chatelaine,” he said uncomfortably.
“And I thought I was the brainiac,” she muttered under her breath. “College?”
“No. Tutor. My father insisted we all be multilingual.”
“Why Mandarin?”
“The Chinese are huge industrialists. He was convinced they would control the world economy. My father is a shrewd businessman. Mandarin is the national language of China.”
“So all your brothers are multilingual too.”
“Yep.”
“By the way, did you ever find Kade?”
Kolson dropped his head. “Yeah. It didn’t go well. I gave him money and told him he needed to go to rehab. I mentioned Case. He became his usual angry self.”
“Any chance I could ever go with you? Or maybe Case?”
Kolson squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t know how to tell her this without it sounding harsh. “God, you’re such a beautiful soul. You see, you know how I have issues? Well Kade had it the worst. And, it’s not so easy. The drugs are bad enough but his head is all fucked up too, kea. I ... the dark is part of it and, fuck it’s a goddamn mess.” He walked out of the room and she watched him knowing it was the end of the conversation. She wished so much she could hold him and he would tell her everything because she knew she could help. She just knew it. But she would have to wait until he was ready, because there would be no pushing him.
Chapter 27
Three days later, as promised, Kolson received a phone call. It was late in the evening and they had just gotten into bed. He looked at the caller ID and apologized to Gabby but told her he had to take the call.
“Hart,” he answered as he walked toward his office.
Gabby didn’t think much about it. Calls came in at all hours of the day and night.
“Mr. Hart. Drex Wolfe here. We’ve got your man.”
“You’re sure?”
“We wouldn’t be talking if I wasn’t.”
“Jesus.” Kolson plopped backward on his chair and took several deep breaths. “Jesus.” He glanced at his shaking hands.
“You okay there?”
For a long moment, he could only breathe.
“Mr. Hart? Kolson?”
“Yeah. Uh … give me a second.”
“Take all the time you need.”
Kolson’s mind was a fucked-up mess. Gabby, his father, and Danny clouded it with colliding images, and he didn’t know what to do, how to respond. He was clearly unprepared for this.
“Shit. I, uh …”
“Mr. Hart, the way we normally operate is we call the police and let them come in or …”
“No. That’s not how this is going to work. Let me collect my thoughts.”
In a deadly calm voice, Wolfe said, “You didn’t let me finish. Or we hold the suspect until the next stage of the operation. Now I can do that for you. Just let me know what you’re feeling right now.”
“Can you give me five minutes? And I’ll call you back?”
“You can’t call me back, Mr. Hart. I’ll call you back.” The call ended.
Kolson sat at his desk, numb. He knew this would happen so why this response? He also knew the answer to that. He was about to step back into hell. And he was afraid. Afraid of what would happen when he did.
He weighed his options. There was always the one where he picked up the phone and called Case, and then the cops. Danny would be arrested and no doubt would serve a prison sentence. But for how long? And then what? He’d come after Gabriella with guns blazing. By then, Kolson pictured the two of them married, with children and perhaps even grandchildren. The possibilities of him hurting their family were too vast to even consider. No, he was left with no other option.
His phone rang.
“Have you made any decisions, Mr. Hart?”
“Yes. Where are you and how long can you hold him there?”
“Indefinitely, and I won’t disclose our location until I have instructions from you. It’s for both of our protection.”
“I see. In that case, I’ll need him somewhere private, where an exchange can be made. Somewhere where you can leave him so you won’t be identified or traced and you won’t see who picks him up.”
“I understand. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”
When Drexel Wolfe called back, he said, “Brooklyn, East River warehouse district. There’s an abandoned warehouse at the end of Heron Street. Upstairs. Midnight tomorrow. I’ll have him there.”
“Got it.”
“Once you have confirmation of him being there, you can transfer the rest of the money to me. Good luck, Mr. Hart. And for what it’s worth, don’t feel guilty. I don’t know what he did, but I wanted to kill the sleazy fucker myself.”
The call ended and that was it. Part one was finished. Now for the nasty piece of the business. Kolson made the next call.
“You must have the information for the favor you need,” Langston said.
“I do.” He passed along the location and time frame.
“Midnight tomorrow. It will be over shortly afterward. And we’ll see you at the house next Saturday?”
“Yes. We’ll be there.”
Kolson sat at his desk, staring at his computer’s screen saver—a picture of Gabriella, on the evening he took her out in the helicopter. She was laughing and joy flowed out of her. Kolson wanted to reach into the computer and grab hold of that joy, bathe in it because he felt sick, felt like he’d just traded his soul to the devil. He wanted Gabriella’s joy to cleanse him of his sins, because he knew if she ever found out what he’d just arranged, the transaction he’d just made, he would lose her forever. And he may as well belong to the devil if that ever happened.
Pushing himself away from his desk, he walked back to the bedroom and found Gabriella asleep. He tried not to disturb her as he got into bed, but she was too keyed into his presence.
“Everything okay?”
“Hmm. It is now,” he said, pulling her into his arms.
She curled against him and he wrapped her hair around his hand, feeling the thick, silky texture against his rough palms. Resting his nose against her head, he let her scent soothe him.
The next two days would be tough, and worse yet, he’d have to mask his feelings of apprehension from her. Closing his eyes, he knew sleep would evade him, but lying there with Gabriella in his arms was enough for him. It was more than enough, more than he’d ever hoped for, so much more than that tortured young boy ever dreamed of having. And that’s why he was confident he’d made the right choice.
The next day was uneventful for Gabby, but torment for Kolson. He felt like time moved incrementally slow. Work was a disaster and it was impossible to get anything done. He snapped at everyone until Jack, his assistant, finally suggested he take the afternoon off. The gym seemed to be the solution and sparring with his trainer took his mind off things for a while. By the time he made it home, he was bone-tired.
“Kolson, you look terrible. Let me get you something.”
“It’s fine. I went to the gym, and my trainer killed me.”
“Why don’t you shower and I’ll fi
x you some dinner? Lydia made us shrimp creole.”
“Sounds wonderful.” He lied. He wasn’t sure if he could swallow a bite. The shower eased some of his pains and relaxed him a bit, but he was still achy and tired when he joined Gabby at the counter.
When she noticed he wasn’t eating his normal massive amount, she commented. He made some bland reply and she said, “Maybe you’re coming down with something. Go to bed and get some rest. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
He took her advice and dragged himself into the bedroom and went to sleep. He never heard her come to bed.
They both woke up to ringing cell phones.
“What the heck!” Gabby groaned.
They answered their respective calls, and both sat up in bed.
Case was on Kolson’s phone and the police were talking with Gabby. Danny’s body had been found. He’d jumped off the top floor of one of the hotels in Brooklyn. He’d left a suicide note stating that he knew he’d get caught eventually and he just did not want to go to prison. So he decided to take the easy way out.
Gabby hung up the phone and switched on the television. Flipping through the channels, she found the local news and soon a reporter came on live where they’d discovered Danny’s body.
“Daniel Martinelli, who’d been wanted by police for over a month, was found dead early this morning after allegedly jumping from the roof of a Brooklyn hotel. Mr. Martinelli, originally from the Stamford, Connecticut, area, had been charged with rape, attempted rape, child molestation, stalking, attempted kidnapping, attempted murder, and assault of an aggravated nature with a deadly weapon.”
Gabby was stunned at first, but then she fell back against her pillows. “It’s over. He’s dead.”
“Yes. He is. Now you don’t have to live your life in fear anymore.”
“It doesn’t seem real. It doesn’t seem possible. He controlled everything I did for so long.”
“Not anymore, kea. Only you can control what you do now.”
She brushed her hair off her face. “It’s hard to believe. In fact, I don’t feel like it’s real.”
“It is.”
“I guess it will take a while for it to sink in.”
Kolson noticed the blank expression on her face.
The Best of Forevers Page 116